Chapter 3!!
Warning: Mentions of alcohol consumption, vaping, sexual situations.
Drop me a like and a comment, this chapter is over 4k words! Hard work ka itna to banda hai 😆
Fluctuating viewpoints like the previous chapters, the narrator's name is now bold and underlined for ya'll. Enjoy!! 😃
*******
Noora
‘How did you manage to get hold of alcohol?’ Jiah scolded me while I downed two shots of vodka in the locked bathroom. ‘This is wrong Noora, you can’t do these things here. Have some—’
‘Shut up,’ I mutter, pressing the lime in my mouth. ‘I needed this.’
‘But why? You were completely fine. Why the f**k are you so jittery?’
I could not tell her now, could I.
Sultan Durrani’s eyes had spoken volumes during our brief eye contact. His demeanour was still a mystery even though I figured out the basics. And if I had to stay sane throughout the evening, especially if someone would introduce us, I needed any form of ethanol in my system.
‘Nothing okay, it just got overwhelming,’ I threw the lemon wedge in the dustbin, spraying my mouth with my mint freshener. Letting out a huge gust of air, I retouched my lipstick.
Jiah shook her head disapprovingly, ‘You can’t do this here, Noora.’
‘Okay. Let’s go.’ I was halfway out the door.
‘At least tell me why!’
I could not. How was I to tell her that Sultan had an unidentified emotion in his eyes and that emotion took my breath away. It had made my knees buckle and I failed to comprehend why. Whatever strength I had that had made me start playing this game, it was replaced with an influx of feelings that I did not fathom.
But I could not do this. There was a party to attend, where I had to be all nice and smiles. Sultan would eventually talk to me, so at least the alcohol might help make me confident. This pissed me off even more because never did I have to rely on anything to control my brain.
I noticed a few people walking towards me and faked a happy smile immediately.
‘Hello Miss Noora,’ a gentleman said. ‘Its so lovely to have you here.’
‘Its lovely to be here,’ I responded. The people then droned all on about their background, what businesses they did, basically some sort of fancy introduction. I tuned out but continued to nod along, knowing that Jiah would be memorising all of this as the conversation went on.
A slight nudge from her indicated that the man had asked me a question to confirm where we were planning on opening our first hotel, ‘Sir, we are still in making the bid to buy the land. Apparently there’s one competitor that isn’t backing down.’
‘And he won’t. Because that’s Sultan Durrani.’
Wait what?
‘Pardon?’ I asked, hoping I had heard correctly.
‘The piece of land you want for your first hotel, your competition is Sultan Durrani’s hospitality company. I would know, I am the MLA who has to grant the permission to either of you.’
‘That’s right.’
I froze when I heard the unidentified voice. That baritone with the slightest tremor and great amount of confidence and power…I was positive it was Sultan Durrani.
And sure enough it was. He was standing behind me, looking just as he did when we first saw each other. His eyes were scanning my face and there was a hint of a smirk on his lips. The man knew what he was doing, standing dangerously close enough so that I could feel a trickle of his breath on my ear, but at the same time he was far enough so no one could suspect anything.
Well then…game on.
I moved slightly aside so that he could join the circle which he did. Then slyly, I slid towards him, my arm touching his ever-so-gently.
‘Hello, Mr. Durrani,’ I smiled at him, noticing his nostrils flair with this slight contact. ‘I was hoping to meet you.’
‘Please, call me Sultan,’ he replied, turning to face me. I suppressed my smirk when I noticed he turned himself in a deliberate way so that our arms were pressed against each other. Not that I minded it, if he could play, I would play too.
‘Sultan,’ I rolled the name off my tongue. His eyes darted to my mouth for a flash of a second. ‘I did not know you were my competitor.’
‘Usually I compete with myself,’ he replied. ‘But this could be fun.’
‘Do you two know each other?’ The MLA asked us.
‘No, although this is the first time we’re talking,’ Sultan told him, hinting at our earlier encounter.
The MLA looked confused so I quickly added, ‘We’ve spoken before but not really talked.’
Sultan’s smirk was worth making such statements as we both notice the MLA trying to make sense of our words. It was fun, interacting privately while confusing others. At least Sultan did not back down and seemed like he was up for a challenge. That was perfect.
A couple more people joined the circle talking, but we were not listening. He was constantly looking at me, trying to read me, whereas I would turn my gaze towards him every few seconds, my lower lip captured by my teeth. I swore I heard him take a sharp intake of breath due to my actions.
We continued to nod, letting everyone think we were a part of their conversation, however our attention was only on each other. Sultan was not only attractive, but my competitor too, which meant I would deal with him a lot more. So why not have fun while I am trying to work? This could end up becoming an alliance or even friendship if it had to, given how similar we were.
******
Nageen
It had been half an hour since Sultan arrived at the party. I was very much there, serving starters to the guests. But he had not even once tried to come talk to me. It was clear why I was asked to work tonight, but what was the point if the man responsible to get me here would not even attempt to have a conversation with me?
‘This is insane,’ Saira was standing next to me, holding an identical serving plate. ‘Sultan hasn’t—’
‘I know.’ I cut her off. ‘And I have been wondering why.’
‘Maybe you pushed him too far, Nageen. I told you, your rudeness would not give any fruitful result. Sultan can get tonnes of women without even blinking an eye. Look, there’s one with him right now.’
My eyes narrowed, not liking what I was seeing. A woman in red was standing next to Sultan and the two were busy conversing. But that was not it. Fear coursed through my veins, because she seemed like the type of girl who would make him forget about me. As much as I hate to admit it, they complemented each other, he was tall and without heels she would fit perfectly in his arms. He was handsome while she was gorgeous. He was intimidating and frankly, so was she.
Holy shit.
Was I going to lose my chance because of some foreign return businesswoman?
I had to do something.
Quickly, I walked towards them, with the service plate. If he was not going to come to me, I could at least show him my face, incite a reaction out of him.
*****
Narmeen
I think this was the most humiliated I had ever felt. True, I was attending this opening with the man I really wanted in my life but what just happened?
Sultan had been nice to me on our way here, he did not mind when I stood close to him and I could still understand that he got swarmed by people so we ended up breaking apart. But now that it had all died down, he completely forgot about me! There he was, chatting away with his business partners, giving interviews while I stood in the corner with a Mocktail and his assistant.
It did not matter who all he spoke to, by the way. Because that was all work related. Until I saw the woman he was standing with. Okay I really needed to know who this person was. Sultan was not the kind who cared who was around him and as far as I knew, there was no VIP in the house.
But this girl was…something else. I could sense she would be trouble in my paradise. Whether Sultan was interested in her or no was a different question, but…she reminded me so much of Sultan!
Did he like her? What if he would get swayed? She looked his type…but was she his type? I would not know, Sultan never shared anything with me.
I needed to stop this.
Setting my glass aside and stuffing my mouth with a few canapé starters, I made my way to Sultan with a huge smile on my face. Maybe this would make him fall for me, or feel something for me, as tiny as it might be.
*****
Sultan
Noora lived upto the meaning of her name. She was the light, even though she was similar to me, the dark and damaged me. There was something in her that was making me feel different. A part of me wanted to embrace her, whereas the other wanted to drag her to an isolated corner right now and do unspeakable things to her until she forgot to speak.
How could someone be so damn good looking and intelligent? Every sentence that she said within this group of people was truly showing how smart she was. At the same time she was guarded, not letting anyone know what she was thinking. It was frustrating because by now I should have been able to read her completely, giving me an edge over her.
But for f**k’s sake I was failing at being myself. Her charm, innocence and coyness was way too distracting. Her being smart had just made her the most desirable person I could have known. Plus those eyes…those beautiful, almond-shaped eyes. Despite being similar to me in nature, there was genuine innocence and straightforwardness in them. It was only the emotions in her eyes that were making me hate myself for having such illicit thoughts about her. Nevertheless, she knew what she was doing, so the thoughts came back.
What was I to do? I never went against his own rules. I had had my fair share of girlfriends and partners in the past, the years spent abroad studying for my MBA were filled with promiscuity. I knew I was desirable to women. But this woman in particular was not really flirting. She acknowledged my desirability but continued trying to figure me out. At the same time, I knew she was affected in my presence, only choosing not to do anything about it.
The visions swirling in front of my eyes were not helping me either. I was in a public place for heck’s sake, any amount of explicit thoughts would make me uncomfortable in a very specific area.
What to do…what to do…what to d—
‘Hi Sultan!’
‘Prawn cocktail, sir?’
My heart sped as I snapped out of my thoughts, out of my bubble in a daze. The first voice was Narmeen, who was supposed to not leave my side this evening, had made her way to me. Did I really forget about her?
The second was the woman I had tried so hard to talk to for the last fifteen or so days. Nageen Fariyas stood in front of me with a plate of starters, staring with one eyebrow cocked up.
I forgot about her too!
*****
Noora
This was the most entertained I had been so far. Two women had entered our circle, one was working, while the other was Sultan’s cousin. My eyes were fixated on Sultan, who looked trapped in a corner, not knowing what to say. Seeing the look he was giving Narmeen, it meant he was not interested while she tried to cling to him. Whereas the way he looked at the other girl…okay, he liked her. There was no way he could hide that.
Ignoring the slight pain that had arisen in my chest with this new set of information, I turned to the working girl. Picking a piece of shrimp on a tissue, I said, ‘Thank you Miss…?’
‘Nageen,’ she said, looking at me intently. All of this indicated towards one thing, this girl Nageen too had some sort of feelings for Sultan, good or bad I did not know. And she thought there was something going on between the two of us.
Okay, glad that is settled. He is nearly taken Noora, you can play but do not flirt or fall for him.
‘Yeah thanks,’ Sultan said rather quickly, picking up a starter too. Nageen stared constant at Sultan whilst he did so, walking away as he looked at her. But surprisingly, he turned back to me way too quickly, ‘Umm…Noora? This is my cousin Narmeen Durrani. Narmeen, this is Noora Khan.’
‘Oh I know who you are,’ Narmeen said too sweetly. ‘I have read all about you.’
‘And I about you.’ I looked at the way her hands were wrapped around Sultan’s arms. Smart girl, knowing he could not jerk her hand off in public.
‘Sultan usually doesn’t talk to too many people, but when I spotted him with you, I knew it must be special. Business isn’t it?’ Narmeen carried on, her attitude nearly causing me to laugh. It was so unattractive to see a girl trying to mark her territory.
‘Yes it is business. In fact, Noora’s company is all set to bid for the same land that I’ve been trying to get hold of,’ Sultan said, his dark eyes darting all over my face repeatedly.
I nearly kicked myself when I felt my cheeks start to turn red. ‘Can’t wait to beat you.’
‘Durranis never lose,’ he replied.
‘There’s always a first,’ I retorted, noticing his grin increasing in size.
‘Sultan,’ Narmeen jumped into the conversation. ‘There were some paps who wanted our pictures.’
Sultan sighed loudly, ‘Just give me a minute, I have to attend to something.’
‘But where!’
‘Narmeen please—’
‘Sultan!’
‘Restroom!’ I burst into giggles, looking at Sultan losing his cool for a second. He turned to see me, his body relaxing as soon as he noticed the tears from laughing appear at the corner of my eyes. ‘I’ll see you in a while, Narmeen.’
With Sultan gone, I took that as a queue to leave, asking Jiah not to follow me. Sneaking out into a balcony-like outdoor area, I felt a sense of relief as I seated myself on an armchair in a hidden corner. Deep breaths were usually suitable to calm anyone’s nerves, but not when it came to Sultan Durrani.
That man was very attractive and literally charmed you without even doing anything. Despite the fact that I chose not to flirt with him…I felt weird seeing Nageen and him look at each other. There was a pang of dismay, knowing that he would probably end up with her sooner or later and Narmeen would be heartbroken when it would happen.
But why did he not talk to her? She was right there, standing with a plate of starters. He could have easily followed her but he did not. And I saw him go into the restroom. Of course, he could meet her right now…they would probably be talking and soon there will be a ring on her finger…
‘None of your business, Noora,’ I muttered to myself, slipping into a hidden corner. ‘None of your business…’
I do not know how long I stood out there, just staring at the stars, hoping it would take away the memory of the way Sultan Durrani looked at me. That was just a far-fetched dream, was it not. Every time I blinked, I could see him. His deep eyes filled with a certain type of yen, his angular nose flaring ever-so slightly every now and then, his mouth pulled up into a smirk, the way his body towered over mine, his breath trickling the nape of my neck teasingly, his scent…oh his scent…
I heard quick footsteps coming outside and stood up immediately to see who it was.
Any guesses?
The enigma pulled out a vape from his pocket, wrapping his lips around it, taking in a deep breath. I felt my eyes turn heavy when he released the smoke in the air, closing his eyes.
Now I guess vaping’s hot…
‘These people will be the death of me…’ I heard him say.
Feeling bold, I replied from the corner, ‘What a horrible way to die then.’
******
Sultan
F**k!
Where was she?
I looked around frantically trying to spot Noora. Finally I heard her giggle and step out of a corner, standing with her hands across her chest.
‘Fancy seeing you here,’ I commented, trying to remain as nonchalant as I could.
‘Its not my party, I can do whatever I want,’ she smirked. One tendril of hair had escaped her bun and I suddenly had a burning desire to tuck it behind her ear.
‘I suppose you have a point.’ I inhaled some more smoke. ‘Why are you hiding in the corner?’
‘Umm…I got bored,’ she said, diverting her eyes as she came upto me. But I knew she was lying. Her eyes gave it away this time.
‘Why?’ I let it slide for once, playing along.
She shrugged, ‘Socialising isn’t really my thing.’
Okay, there she was saying the truth.
‘So what’s your thing?’ I asked her, genuinely curious.
She was next to me now, the moonlight hitting her face, taking my breath away. Noora looked so fragile, so beautiful. There were no words to describe how ethereal she looked at this minute. Oh how I wanted to wrap my arms around her, hold her tiny frame to mine. But them eyes…oh she was yearning something.
Images begin swirling, taking over my vision…she was on the edge of the balcony, her upper body hanging downwards…the bodice in shreds as the moonlight hit her ivory gold skin…lipstick smudged, having stained my lips crimson while she cried out my name as I was deeply engulfed in her warmth…finally pulling her into my arms, carrying her to the armchair…sitting down while letting her take charge…
‘Sultan?’
‘Huh?!’ I took in a sharp breath, not realising the muse of my fantasies was standing in front of me.
‘I just answered your question.’
‘I’m sorry I was a little distracted.’ I hoped she fell for it. ‘Could you repeat yourself please?’
She rolled her eyes, biting her lower lip.
Oh Goodness me.
‘I said, I enjoy painting instead of socialising.’
‘Oh,’ I managed to mutter. ‘So what do you paint?’
‘Whatever comes to my mind. I can paint people too, if given a good photo for reference and some free time,’ she grinned. ‘What about you, any hobbies?’
Now she was artistic too? She was perfect!
I thought to myself for a minute, continuing to vape. ‘I don’t know really.’
‘So you enjoy nothing except your work?’ She looked disappointed. Oh angel.
‘I played sports as a child. But after my parent’s death, something changed.’
‘Oh.’ Her eyes turned sad, genuinely empathising with me. ‘Well, since we’ll be meeting because of the land bid, I think you can figure out something until you lose.’
‘Is that so?’ I quirked an eyebrow at her smile. ‘What makes you think you can beat me?’
‘I just know I can,’ she replied, again mysteriously. ‘Some questions don’t have one direct answer.’
Her eyes glinted in the moonlight, red lips pulled into a smile and I found myself soften. She really was an angel, a sinful one, with the beauty and sensuality of Aphrodite.
‘You really like to keep me thinking,’ I said matter-of-factly.
She shook her head, ‘Not at all, Sultan.’
‘Liar,’ I breathed, craving to kiss her.
‘No.’ She replied in similar fashion, leaning in closer, causing me to nearly groan out. ‘And I think you should head in. Your girlfriend must be pissed.’
Holy shit.
‘What girlfriend?’ I asked her, my heart rate speeding up in anxiety.
She looked confused, ‘The waitress. Nageen. Come on Sultan, I saw the way you looked at each other. There was definitely something there.’
I was at loss of words. She was right, but that something was slipping out of my reach already. Ever since I laid my eyes on Noora, Nageen felt like a distant part of my past. But how could I do it? I was sure I loved her, I wanted to marry her! Then how come Noora Khan was invading my thoughts now?
‘There’s nothing,’ I said.
‘Its perfectly fine, you don’t owe me any explanation. I was just stating the truth because she looked pissed earlier in the evening. Anyway I am sorry, I have to go.’
‘Wait!’ I half-yelled. ‘Right now, Noora?’
*********
Noora
‘Yeah I need to go, Sultan.’
I had to get out of here, before either of us moved in and kissed the other. I would not be the third wheel, no matter how tempting this fruit was. I knew he was not distracted by people when I was talking to him earlier today, he was visualising something…and it was something I feared to put into words.
If only there was no Nageen…
As I turned and rushed towards the door, Sultan grabbed my arm, stopping me, ‘How am I to contact you? Don’t forget you asked me my hobby.’
For the final time for the night I looked at him, not filtering expressions for once, ‘You are Sultan Durrani. I’m sure you can find out.’
And I darted out, leaving him alone. Half-running through the crowd, I spotted Jiah, gesturing her to follow me. I ignored her questions, dying to just get home. Sultan Durrani’s aura had captured me and I never wanted to get out. The thoughts in my mind were baffling me, at one end I wanted him but there was no explicit way I could think of. I needed him to consume me, leave me breathless.
On the other hand, there was a budding friendship too, I felt it grow tonight. Surely for a few moments of desire I could not throw away a genuine friendship now, could I?
Who was I kidding.
As I slid under the covers that night, my mind filled with contradictory thoughts, I saw my phone buzz. WhatsApp from an unknown number.
Told you, Durranis never lose. Good Night Noora, let’s see you try win the next one.
He did it. A grin spread across my face as I typed a message in return:
I am impressed. Nice to see how sure you are, it will be a worthy battle which is mine to win. Good Night Sultan.
The smile never left my face as I slept soundly that night.
*******
Sultan
Her reply filled me with warmth immediately. I thanked myself for making the smart decision to leave the party early and get my PI to call all mobile companies and get me Noora’s number.
As much as I was confused, I noticed she was reciprocating, no matter how hesitant she was. She thought Nageen was the one…oh God, Nageen.
Nageen was still there. But she was disappearing from my thoughts repeatedly. Last night I was drinking, raging over her attitude as she left me to get drenched in the rain. And tonight, desire for a different individual was clouding my mind.
What was happening to me?
“Go to sleep,” I told myself. “You have a meeting related to the bid tomorrow morning. Do not f**k it up. You’ll see her tomorrow.”
And for the first time in ages, I slept a good night’s sleep, albeit dreaming of the night’s incidents with my angel, which then overlapped with thoughts of her in this very bed with me, in an intimate embrace across every surface in the room.
She was overpowering my senses…and I could not wait to see her again tomorrow.
Edited by Ashley.Tisdale - 3 years ago
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
